Internal-combustion engine



Feb. 4, 1930. v. LINK INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan. s,v

INVENTOR. ce??? JZ'W/ mme rea e, ieee PrEN'r VINCENT LINK, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIeNoE To THE STUDEBAKEB CORPORA- TIoN, oF SOUTH BEND, TNDIANA, A CORPORATION or NEW. JERSEY INTEnNAL-coMBUsTIoN ENGINE This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and particularly to heating'devices therefor, wherein means is provided lto heat the intake air previous to its entrance into the carburetor.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an internal combustion enthen is drawn into the carburetor 12ithrough air to the carburetor under conditions which will permit the engine to operate most eiliciently.

Another object is'to provide an internal combustion engine with a heater for heating the incoming air tothe carburetor to assist 15 the engine in maintaining-a 00d operating temperature,particularly at s ow speeds, the

temperature of the heater being automatically controlled by the speed of the engine.

Another object is provide an internal combustion engine with a heater for the air intake of the carburetor, the carburetor having a' throttle. valve for admitting gas mixtures into the engine manifold, which valve simultaneously operates a valve for permitting exhaust gas to enter the heater,

A further object isto provide a heater for regulating the temperature ofthe air entering 'an engine carburetor toprovide more efcient carburization, said heatercomprising a shell open ,at one end and having a plurality of hollow annular rings. contained therein, the adjacent rings -being interconnected to allow exhaust gas to pass therethrough to heat the same, the air entering the carburetorvv being drawn through theopen en'd of the shell and between the heated rings into thev carburetor inlet.

These being among the objects of the pres-4 40 ent invention, the same consists of certain feaparts to' be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing and then claimed, having the above and other objects in view."

Referring now to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a suitable embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an 5u internal combustion engine having the heater tures of construction andl combinations of' of the present invention connected at its ends to the carburetor and exhaust manifold.

Figure 2 is a longitudinalsection of the` heater, coupling and a portion of the carburetor showing the passage of exhaust gas through the heater, and the passage of the intake air to the carburetor.

' Fi ure 3 is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 showingan end view of the heater, the exhaust pipe for the heater being in section.

Heretofore, internal combustion engines provided with means for heating the intake air generally employed a heater of the muif type which embodied, principally, a hood surrounding a portion of the exhaust pipe which was connected directly lto lthe carburetor intake tube. v

After an engine using a Construction of this type was warmed. up, the temperature of the intake air increased with the speed of theengine', because the exhaust pipe became hotter as the speed ofthe engine increased. These prior constructions were not satisfac-V tory as it is a well known fact that an internal combustion engine will operate more elicient- 1y and ecnomicallyif the heat supplied to the intake air is lessened as. the speed of the engine is increased, and also, that at low -speeds an engine will operate more eiiciently and economically when the intake air is properly heated to providea correct carburized mixture. l

In the present invention, a device is provided for heating the intake air which is adapted to be controlled by the carburetor throttle valve, whereby the exhaust gas may be gradually shut out of the heater as the v throttle valve opens to increase the speed of the engine.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, an internal combustion engine 10 is illustrated as having an intakev manifold 11' of the conventional type for the passage of a combustible mixture from the carburetor .12 to the combustion chambers I of the engine cylinders. A conventional exto the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe 14. The exhaust pipe 14 is connected to the exhaust manifold 13 by a coupling 15 containing a flap valve 16 adapted to open and close an outlet duct 17 leading to the heater. Thisvalve 16 is operated by means of a lever 18 which is actuated by a rod 19 connected with asimilar lever 2O which operates the carburetor throttle valve 21, all of the mechanism being operated by the manually operated acceleratorrod 22.

The heater 23 is interposed between the coupling and the carburetor 12, it beingcon- ,nected at one end With the outlet duct 17 of the coupling 15 by the tube 24, and at the opposite end thereof with the intake pipe 26 tion through radially opposed ports 29 ony opposite sides of the rings 27, which rings 27 are held in spaced position by the lwalls 30 of the ports 29 and bosses 31 positioned in opposed relation to the ports 29. The end ring 32 adjacent the carburetor 12 is cast with a central cylindrical portion 33 extending outwardly therefrom which receives the end of the tube 25, through which the heated air passes into the carburetor .12. The ring 34 at the opposite end of the heater is formed with a bossed opening 35 which receives the tube 24 to effect a continuous passage of the exhaust gas from the 'coupling 15 through the heating rings 34, 27 and 32 and out through the port 29 into a tubular member 36, connected with the exhaust pipe 14. Snrrounding these heating rings 27 is a casing 37 having an open end 38 which is secured to the end ring 34 by screws 39, and having its Walls spaced away from the circumferentialfwalls of the heating rings 27. t From the foregoing description, the construction of the heater should be apparent and its operation will now be described.

When the engine 10 is running at slow speed, the throttle valve 21 is partially open and being' connected to the flap valve 16 in the coupling 15, causes thevalve 16 to re- Vmain open to direct the hot exhaust gases into the tube 24. The hot gases pass from the tube 24 into the end ring 34 and successively pass through the passages 28 in rings 27' and ring 32, and into the exhaust pipe 14 through the tubular member 36. The travel of the gases through the heater causes the rings 27 to heat up so that they can impart heat to i the air which isbeing drawn into the carburetor intake' pipe 26. y

t In Figure 2 the travel of the intake 'air is indicated by the arrows and is shown as entering the heater 23 through the open end 38 of the casing 37 where it is sucked in between the spaced heating rings 27 and into the extending portion 33 of the ring 32 and then is drawn into the carburetor 12 through its intake pipe 26. `It is obvious that as the throttle valve 21 is opened to admit more fuel to the engine, the flap valve 16 closes, and less exhaust gas, will be directed into the heater 23. When the -valve 21 is entirely open to causethe engine to run at maximum speed the valve 16 is closed and no exhaust gas enters Vthe heater.` This operation of the heater through the governing valve 16 connected Ato the throttle valve 21, provides a regulating means Iwhereby the intake air may be heated to a temperature best suited for the different speeds of an engine, and the maximum efficiency and economy may be obtained through perfectly carburized combustible mixtures.

Although the heat controlling valve 16 is shown to be so connected with the throttle valve 21 that it will be entirely closed when the valve 21 is in maximum open position,

.it is to be understood that it may be arranged to be in partly open position, when the valve 21 is `in maximum open position,and also, that it may be arranged to be partly closed when the throttle valve 21 is practically closed,

whereby the heat may be shut 0E at some point before the throttle valve 21 reaches its maximum open position.

Formal changes may be made in the specie embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit and substance of the broad vinvention the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, a heater for controlling the temperature of the air entering the engine carburetor comprising a plurality of spaced hollow annular' rings interconnected to provide a continuous passageway. therethrough, an open-ended shell surrounding said rings for directing air into the spaces between said rings, a duct connected with the central opening of one of said rings and the intake of said carburetor for conducting said air to said carburetor, and a duct connected at one end to the exhaust of said engine for directing a heating medium into said passageway to heat said rings, said rings radiating heat to heat said air enten ing said carburetor.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a heater for controlling the temperature of the air entering the engine carburetor comprising a plurality of spaced hollow annular rings interconn'ected to providea continuous passageway therethrough, a shell open at one'end surrounding said rings for directing air therebetween, a duct connected at one end to the exhaust of said engine for passin a-heating medium into said passageway or heating said rings, a valve for controllin the amount of heating medium entering sai passageway, and a duct connected with the cenm tral opening of one of said rings and said carburetor for conducting air heated by said rings into said carburetor. s y 3. In a device of the class described,'a'n air heater comprising a pluralit of s aced i i5 hollow annular rings having diametrlcally opposed ports at opposite sides thereof, said rings being positioned with the ports of one ring connected with the ports of' adjacent rings to provide .a continuous' passageway therethrough, means for admitting a heating medium into said passageway for heating said rings, a ported shell surrounding said rings for deiiecting cold air into the spaces between said rings and through the central openings thereof, and a duct connected with one of said central .openings for discharging said air heated by the contact with said heated rings. v

4. In an internal combustion engine, an'air heater positioned between the exhaust mani# fold and the carburetor comprising a' plurality of ringshaving central openings to permit circulation of cold air therethrough, annular passageways therein and ports con-- necting said passageways to provide 'a continuous passageway therethrough to permit circulation of a heating medium, means for deecting cold air around said rings and through said central openings, and means for '40 admitting hot exhaust gases from said manifold into said passageway and discharging the same therefrom, said hot exhaust gases. heating the cold air as it passes around said rings and' through the central openings therein5 f 5. in an internal combustion engine, means ior heating the air entering the enginel carburetor comprising a plurallty of spaced hollow angular rings connected together to pro- "0 vide a continuous passageway therethrough,

means for directing theair into the spaces between said rings, means connecting the central transverse opening in one of said rings v with said carburetor for directing air into w said carburetor,,and means connected with the exhaust of said engine for directing heat into said passageway continuous for heating the rings to heat said air., y

Signed by me at Detroit, Michigan, this m th day o' December v1926.

' VNCENT LNK.

CERTEFICATE 0F vCOREQEC'IFI.

Patent No. 1,745,700. Granted *February 4, i930, to

VINCENT LINK,

lt is hereby certified that error appears in the printed cpeccatlon ot the above numbered notent requiring correction as'followe: Page ll,- line 8, strike out the words "then is drawn into the carburetor l2 through" and insert instead the syllable andlwords "gine with a device lfor heating the ncomng"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the come may conform toY ther record o the case in the Patent @ffice v Signed and sealed ths 18th day ot'vlarch, A. l). i930.

, M. Moore' (Seal) Actng Commissioner o Patenten 

